Cheese still slimy days after brining

[adalton]

I made a cheese and I don't think my brine was salty enough and now the exterior of the cheese is slimy.  I have had it my cave for a little over a week now at 55 degrees and about 80% humidity.  When I flip the cheese over it's hard to crab onto and some of the rind smears onto my fingers.  Is there anything I can do to fix it?  Can I put it in a saturated brine to try and dry it out or should I dry it at lower humidity?  I plan on getting a gauge soon to measure sodium levels in brine's.

Andy

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

After brining, how long did you air dry it outside of the cave?  It is often a good idea to let the initial rind form over the 3 to 5 days by leaving the cheese to sit out at room temp (around 20 C), flipping morning and evening, until it is more or less dry to the touch, or at least no moister than a clammy handshake.  Then move to the cheese fridge to slow down the moisture loss and to let the rind form more slowly.  I air dry my cheeses sitting on top of about 8 to 10 chopsticks over a bowl.  The first day or two I also put a sushi mat or plastic gride on top of the chopsticks to try and reduce forming ridges (but these fade anyway, so it's not a big deal).

Anyway, I would give it a good wipe with a strong brine, then pat dry, and then air dry it outside your cave for 48 hours (unless your ambiant temperature is way too high).

- Jeff

[Cloversmilker]

What Jeff said.   
If you prefer, instead of wiping with a brine, you can just rub with dry salt and then air dry.  More salt can be rubbed in after a day of drying if you think it is needed.

[adalton]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Most likely a pH and/or calcium imbalance in your brine.

[adalton]

I used the whey as my brining medium, but I did run out of salt.  I only used 1 lb of salt for a  little over a gallon of whey.  I forgot to right down the pH, but for some reason 5.7 sticks in my head.  I bought more salt, but figured instead of adding more salt I would keep it in the brine longer. When I bought the salt I bought 16 1 lb containers and a few miscellaneous groceries, the cashier that checked me out gave me a funny look.  I told her that I really liked salt.  I did sprinkle salt on the rind and set it on a bamboo mat atop a bowl and that worked out very well.  Thanks for that suggestion.  Amazing how much you learn by screwing up!

Andy

[DeejayDebi]

When you learn from you mistakes you lear the whys and don't do it again.